Carbon for engineering of a water-oxidizing catalyst

Abstract

Herein we report that the reaction of KMnO₄ with cobalt nanoparticles coated with multiple graphene layers forms a promising catalyst toward water oxidation. The compound was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, electronic spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and atomic absorption spectroscopy. In addition to the Mn oxide-based characteristics of the catalyst, it is a conductive, self-healing, recycling, highly dispersible, magnetically separable, environmentally friendly, and nano-sized catalyst for water oxidation. The turnover frequency for the catalyst toward water oxidation is 0.1 and 0.05 (mmol O₂ per mol Mn s) in the presence of cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate and photo-produced Ru(bpy)₃³⁺.